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Tenants don't understand E7

03-02-2015, 20:05 PM

Not sure there is any solution to this problem, but maybe someone will have a suggestion:

Most of my rental properties are on Economy 7 heating. There is a timeswitch in the airing cupboard controlling the immersion heaters. The lower one is meant to be used overnight, with the upper one for a boost in case the water runs out. In a couple, the storage heaters are also on timeswitches.

In all cases, I send an introductory letter to my tenants explaining how the system works. I emphasise that day rate electricity is around three times the price of night rate, so the bulk of heating should be on the night rate.

However, several times now, when I get the properties back, I notice that the timeswitches have been set so they come on during the daytime, rather than night.

Maybe I'm just being a 'control freak' here. However, it annoys me to get the impression that my tenant has left the place due to the high cost of heating.

Comment

Maybe I'm just being a 'control freak' here. However, it annoys me to get the impression that my tenant has left the place due to the high cost of heating.

Any suggestions?

I'm sure they have left due to that - why not ask them?

Last year after loads of tenancy changes I bit the bulitt and put GFCH in one of my lets that had storage heaters. On inspections I had noticed the place was cold and tenants would have the gas fire on as low as possible. When we took the hot water cylinder out we discovered that someone had put a tiny element in it - again to save on the electric.

It is very hard to educate youngsters into how E7 functions and it is crap at heating most homes.

Comment

Romanian tenant (with fluent English) of one month's standing, just rang to ask me how to change the timeswitch on her hot water tank. She lives alone, so I don't know how she manages to use more than 210 litres per day, but she reckons it's freezing by 6pm.

I told her just to push the boost button about half an hour before she wants a shower.

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I just got back from one of my properties where I replaced the hob for my tenant of 6 years. The place was virtually steaming, it was so hot in there. I had to keep mopping my brow. This place has weather sensitive storage heaters, and is also on SSE's flexiheat tariff. This gives them a two hour boost in the afternoon, so should not require overheating in the morning to get a good temparature at night.

Looking at the lounge storage heater, the input was on 4, and the output on 6. My tenant seemed to be under the impression that the storage heaters consume current all the time the switch is on, so he told me he switched it off while at work. Therefore it needs to be red hot in the morning, as it doesn't get its afternoon boost.

I've tried to explain about the weather sensitive thermostat, but I don't think he believed me.

Perhaps I should learn Polish?

Comment

I think your problem lies with the fact the majority of people who are clued up enough to understand the things would probably avoid renting a property that had them.... The result being you end up with people who will never understand more than the £££ on their electricity bill - they'll panic when they get the winter one and in an attempt to reduce costs will follow a helpful guide the pulled of the web that was written for gas central heating.

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It's been 'fun' trying to educate my friend about E7 this week. Like JPK's tenant, he asked me what a thermostat was yesterday when I used the word.

When he moved in, I showed him how to work the storage heaters, and even pointed out the instructions printed on the dimplex storage heater flap. When I visited yesterday afternoon, both storage heaters were stone cold, his wife was wearing a woolly hat indoors, and the direct heater in the lounge was on. (No idea about the bedroom ones, but I bet they were on too.)

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E7 is a wonderful pairing with solar panels... Get Solar on the roof, as much as will fit.
'Free' electricity in the daytime when the sun shines, cheap electricity at night with E7.
Win Win

We have a rental on a normal tariff, and 2.6kw of solar panels. The current tenants love it, took a touch of explaining (lots of free electricity when the sun shines, so run washing machine etc around noon, stagger the start if running washing, drying, dishwasher so they dont all run at the same time). Have considered E7 but SSE told me it wasnt possible (years ago).

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When he moved in, I showed him how to work the storage heaters, and even pointed out the instructions printed on the dimplex storage heater flap. When I visited yesterday afternoon, both storage heaters were stone cold

He was following the instructions - you have to wait until evening before turning the boost control up!

Comment

I have replaced storage heaters with electric radiators - yet tenant (& Utility companies) want to have the property on E7! The trouble is they hear 'electric heating' & assume 'storage heater' & they hear 'economy' and think 'cheap'! Not only do many tenants not know how to use their heating but they don't even try to find a cheaper tariff! I put detailed instructions in but I can make tenants read (or understand) them if they can be bothered!

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